Ask an Expert

Four times during the academic year IEL features an "Ask an Expert" event. During each event, IEL users can send questions by email or online to an expert who specializes in a specific topic.

Selected questions and their answers are then posted to the current "Ask an Expert" section of the IEL Web site. Other questions are answered by email, if an email address is provided.

Current & Upcoming Ask an Expert Events

Past Ask an Expert Events

#	Topic	Title	Expert	Date
16	Mental Health	How Do Family Mealtimes and Other Daily Routines Enhance a Child's Well-Being?	Barbara Fiese	May 2009
15	Violence	Supporting Resilience in Children Exposed to Domestic Violence	Karen Stephens	February 2009
14	Autism	Helping Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Early Care and Education Settings	Barbara T. Doyle (M.S.)	November 2008
13	Nature	Appreciating the Natural World with Young Children	Valerie Keener	September 2008
12	Imagination	Imagination and Fantasy in Early Childhood	Karen Stephens	April 2008
11	Project Approach	The Project Approach: Display and Documentation Techniques	Sylvia Chard	February 2008
10	Bullying	Bullying in Early Childhood	Dorothy L. Espelage	November 2007
9	Siblings	Sibling Relationships	Amanda Kolburn	September 2007
8	Friendship	Helping Young Children Develop Friendships	Karen Stephens	April 2007
7	Play	Children's Play—More than Fun and Games	Jean Mendoza	February 2007
6	Problem Behaviors	Do Problem Behaviors Live inside Young Children? Or Do We Create Problems through Our Program Design?	Dale Borman Fink	November 2006
5	Obesity	Childhood Obesity	Darla Castelli	September 2006
4	Conflict	Helping Young Children Resolve Conflicts	Karen Stephens	May 2006
3	Home Projects	Doing Projects with Children at Home	Judy Harris Helm	March 2006
2	Diversity	Welcoming Hispanic Children and Families to Preschool Programs	Cristina López-Sánchez	January 2006
1	Nutrition & Fitness	Preschoolers' Nutrition and Fitness	Staff of the Illinois Interagency Nutrition Council	November 2005

Past Chat Events

From 2002 through 2005, the Illinois Early Learning Project hosted periodic live Chat sessions for parents and educators around the state, in which participants asked questions of Chat guests in an online format. The resource lists and answers to questions (transcripts) on a number of current topics can be found through the following links:

#	Topic	Title	Expert	Date
25	Project Approach	The Project Approach and the Early Learning Standards	Sallee Beneke	June 1, 2005
24	Conflict	Saying 'No' to Your Child	Lilian Katz	May 4, 2005
23	Mental Health	Young Children's Mental Health	Samantha Wulfsohn	April 20, 2005
22	Technology	TV, Computers, and Video Games—How Much Is Too Much?	Carol Weisheit	November 9, 2004
21	Books	From Chewing to Choosing: Bonding Books and Children	Elizabeth Hearne	October 19, 2004
20	Music	My Child Loves Music but I Can't Carry a Tune in a Bucket: A Guide to Preschool Music Making	Eve Harwood	September 21, 2004
19	Language/ Diversity	Supporting the Literacy Development of Diverse Language Learners in Early Childhood Classrooms	Rosalinda Barrera	April 21, 2004
18	Learning Standards	How to Enrich Curriculum with the Illinois Early Learning Standards	Linda Housewright	March 4, 2004
17	Speech Delays	Speech Delays in Young Children: When Will They Talk?	Marlene Christ	February 11, 2004
16	Mental Health	Communicating with Parents during Sensitive or Difficult Situations	Karen Stephens	November 17-19, 2003
15	Phonological Awareness	Do You Hear What I Hear? Phonological Awareness in Young Children	Michael Marks	October 6-8, 2003
14	Using Words	Using Words and Emotions to Avoid Two's Commotions	Deb Medlyn	September 9, 2003
13	Best Practices	Best Practices for Infant and Toddler Care	Debbie Trouth	June 19, 2003
12	Literacy: Preschoolers	Encouraging Literacy Development in Preschoolers	Jodi Scott	May 6, 2003
11	Asthma	Caring for Children with Asthma	Janette Hoffman	April 7, 2003
10	Literacy: Toddlers	Encouraging Literacy Development in Infants and Toddlers	Marsha Glick	March 11, 2003
9	Challenging Behaviors: Aggression & Anger	Handling Challenging Behaviors in Child Care: Aggression and Anger in Young Children	Mary Louise Hemmeter	February 27, 2003
8	Challenging Behaviors: Autism	Handling Challenging Behaviors in Child Care and at Home: Autism	Alyson Beytien	February 18, 2003
7	Preschool Preparation	Getting Ready for Preschool	Jill Moore	July 30, 2002
6	Kindergarten Preparation	Getting Ready for Kindergarten	LaDonna Helm	July 15, 2002
5	Father/Male Involvement	Father/Male Involvement in Early Childhood	Brent A. McBride	June 17, 2002
4	Learning Standards	Integrating the Illinois Early Learning Standards and Performance Assessment	Barbara Grace	June 5, 2002
3	Work Sampling	Using Work Sampling in Pre-K Settings	Sallee Beneke	May 22, 2002
2	Social Development	Supporting Children's Social Development: Strategies for Parents and Caregivers	Dr. Lilian Katz	April 29, 2002
1	Immunizations	Immunizations: What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know	Nanette Gilpin, M.D.	April 17, 2002

The opinions, resources, and referrals provided on the IEL Web site and during IEL Chat sessions are intended for informational purposes only and are not intended to take the place of medical or legal advice, or of other appropriate services. We encourage you to seek direct local assistance from a qualified professional if necessary before taking action.

The content of the IEL Web site and IEL Chat sessions does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Illinois Early Learning Project, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, or the Illinois State Board of Education; nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the Illinois Early Learning Project, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, or the Illinois Board of Education.